Holmes STEAM Elementary

Holmes STEAM Elementary is a small K-6 school in Ypsilanti, MI, serving 191 students within the Ypsilanti Community Schools district, where nearly 89% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Despite its STEAM designation and substantial resources—including a very low 8:1 student-teacher ratio and high per-student spending of $28,910—Holmes faces severe academic challenges. The school ranks in the 7th percentile statewide, with only 15.5% of 5th graders proficient in English Language Arts (compared to the state average of 43.8%) and just 13.8% proficient in science. The most critical issue is a catastrophic chronic absenteeism crisis: 70.9% of students miss 10% or more of the school year, a rate 2.5 times the state average and 1.5 times the district average. While this has improved from a staggering 91.9% in 2022-2023, it remains the primary barrier to learning. The contrast with Ypsilanti International Elementary School, located less than a mile away in the same district, is striking—that school achieves 47.7% ELA proficiency with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 22.1%.

For parents considering Holmes, the data reveals a school where resources alone haven't translated into results. Nearby Rawsonville Elementary School in Van Buren Public Schools serves a similar demographic but achieves significantly better outcomes while spending nearly $10,000 less per student. There are small signs of hope—5th-grade ELA scores have improved from 9.26% to 15.5% proficiency since 2022-2023, and attendance is trending upward. However, the school has remained in the bottom 10% of Michigan elementary schools for a decade. The most urgent priority for Holmes must be addressing the attendance crisis, as no curriculum can succeed when students aren't present to learn.